Close to exchange...just one issue!

honey9

Well, we are about to exchange! :T Only thing is we are in a chain of 4 (we are at the bottom, FTBs) and the people at the top of the chain sent in their contract by post last Wednesday and it still hasn't arrived at their solicitors!!!! I guess this is due to the bad weather. Everyone else's sols (including ours) has had their contracts ready since last week.

I hope it gets sorted this week as we need to give notice on our rented flat by the 11th and if we don't then we will end up paying an extra month - so into February. Our solicitor knows this but there's not a lot she can do if a contract is taking nearly a week to get across London. Bah! If we don't exchange before the 11th (we don't want to give notice till we have a definite completion date) is there any way we can ask that the people holding up the process contribute to the extra month's rent or is that massively cheeky??

Niv

I think it would be pointless. You wont get anywhere with it. Its just part of the cost of buying/moving. Sorry!

goldbyron

The post is up the creek at the moment - I am having to go into my sols in London tomorrow as he needs the original signed transfer deeds for completion on Thursday. The top of the chain could sign and scan the contract over - the original is not needed for exchange....I know this is the case from 2 weeks ago when we exchanged!

honey9

Thanks, I might suggest that to the solicitor. It's not just us who are annoyed, the person who's buying their house needs to move before Christmas in order to get their kids enrolled in a new school so they're also hoping this doesn't delay completion too much!

bongo_man_2

When we moved as FTB we had the same problem and just said we could only complete on X date as we weren't prepared to pay rent and mortgage for the same month. As the rest of the chain was keen to move they all chipped in to cover our rent for the month to enable completion to happen earlier. It's worth a try as that money will come in handy and it meant we had a month to decorate our new place whilst still living in rented which made the move a lot less stressful.

CloudCuckooLand

Classic reason for using local sols...

tyllwyd

I work freelance, and I posted a parcel with work in it to my client in London on Wednesday last week - hasn't arrived, so in the end I had to re-do the whole thing over the weekend. I've sent it again (special delivery) today so fingers crossed it actually arrives tomorrow. They've removed the special delivery next day guarantee for some areas at the moment. I'm sure the contract will arrive eventually, fingers crossed it turns up tomorrow.

G_M

Traffic in London is moving. Are you in contact with the people concerned? Or via your solicitors?
Simple answer is for the people to drive across London to their solicitor, sign the contract, and Exchange.
To put pressure on for them to do this, tell them you'll pull out and the entire chain will collapse if they don't.

Or just wait for the post - it's getting back to normal. The 11th is Saterday. Just make sure you get your rental notice delivered (get a receipt from the letting agent/LL) by the deadline for the month.

honey9

Well it looks like things are back on track, apparently their contract arrived with their solicitors this morning! Ours is now trying to get the exchange lined up for later today so fingers crossed.

goldbyron

Good luck! Hope you get to exchange today or at least by the end of the week.

honey9

Thanks - it didn't happen though. Our solicitor called today to update us but there's not much to update - she and the other solicitors in the chain are going frantic trying to make the exchange happen but for some reason the solicitor for the people at the top of the chain (chain of 4) isn't doing anything. The contracts have been released for exchange for 3 days now and still nothing. Our sol was a bit suspicious that the top of the chain didn't post their contract till the snow had snarled everything up (they'd had it for a couple of weeks before that!) and didn't drop it off in person although they could have done - maybe she's being a bit cynical though! But she did say, and I agree, it is odd that no reason has been given for the delay. If it was due to illness or something I could understand but it seems like there's no communication.

Our seller's solicitor and their seller's solicitor have now given the sols for the top of the chain a deadline to complete today or we change the completion date.
I really hope they don't pull out.